Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,
As the City wants to better understand the thoughts of Hamiltonians in relation to encampment protocol, the Ward 8 office has launched its own survey to better understand the views, thoughts or concerns of Ward 8 residents.
For more details, please continue reading below…
The City of Hamilton recently launched a survey asking residents to comment on a plan outlining where encampments could legally be set up in Hamilton.
Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, communities across Canada have increasingly grappled with the need to find solutions that address the needs of both people living in encampments and the broader communities they exist within.
Encampments are the result of several conditions including:
- a lack of affordable housing, particularly with supports;
- limited emergency shelter space;
- an opioid epidemic;
- untreated and exacerbated mental health issues;
- a broader lack of affordability for basic needs; and
- insufficient resources at a municipal level to address these issues.
As such, encampments are likely to exist for the foreseeable future in lieu of significant intervention from other levels of government.
The needs of people experiencing homelessness and the regulatory and governance landscape has evolved over the past few years, which means that the City of Hamilton needs to change with it to ensure we can compassionately and responsibility support and assist unhoused Hamilton residents.
Hamilton’s actively homeless population has consistently remained over 1,500 since December 2021 and currently sits at 1,615 as of April 2023.
Proposed steps to better assist individuals living unsheltered are:
a) sanctioned encampments that can provide individuals with a safe and stable environment to live in, and
b) an encampment protocol that would permit individuals experiencing homelessness to live in outdoor locations separate from a sanctioned site.
This provides a framework of where people could stay in the event that they do not feel comfortable staying at a sanctioned site or if the City of Hamilton does not pursue sanctioned encampment sites as a policy.
Key elements of the proposed encampment protocol included:
- A housing first approach where the City prioritizes finding individuals more stable housing over ensuring that individuals do not camp in public places. This may necessarily mean that individuals are permitted reside in encampments in public spaces until that accommodation can be found.
- A limit of five tents per encampment area that require minimum amount of personal space and minimum distances between other encampments
- Prohibiting encampments from being near highways, pathways, bridges, sidewalks, fire routes, and accessibility entrances, schools, day cares or areas with high environmentally sensitive or heritage designations
- Minimum distances from recreational assets and private property
The Ward 8 office is hosting a survey online until June 30th to better understand the views of Ward 8 residents. Please take the time to share your thoughts.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact our office here.